Vancouver’s NEEDS (an acronym for Never Ever Ending Destruction of Society) could have started their self titled debut album with an intense, raging declaration of their power. They could have burst out of the gate with guns blazing. The operative word there is could. What they did do is start off with a tension-building opening song that slowly flexes their dynamic muscles before releasing their brand of post hardcore crunch. NEEDS smartly resists the urge to outstay their welcome by hitting you with a barrage of energy. When they do ramp up that much needed the energy, however, it comes coupled with some much welcome catharsis.

With song titles like “Walk, Cycle or Take Transit Like Jehu,” it is not hard to pinpoint this band’s influences. The inspiration of John Reis, Ian Mackaye and Steve Albini can be detected all over this record. The tongue in cheek stance of the latter is an especially obvious influence on the lyrics.

What may be the defining lyric off of the album comes from the opening of “We Forgot the Records to Our Record Release Show.” “What am I doing? / No, seriously, what am I doing? / I’m 36 years old / 37 in a couple of months / in a hardcore band.” With that lyric, you can start to understand where NEEDS is coming from. Self-degradation and examples of idiocy are scattered throughout, whether they be in the lyrics or the song titles. NEEDS understands that they can easily poke fun at themselves as well as those around them.

NEEDS make it outright obvious that they do not take themselves seriously. While this is a breath of fresh air in the hardcore scene, it doesn’t exempt them from cringe worthy lyrics or song titles. They also attempt to avoid another trapping of hardcore: bland repetition. NEEDS does this with varying degrees of success. The tight instrumentation and occasional clean guitar sounds often keeps the record sonically interesting. However, the song “Nag Champion (Smoke Break)” may add variety to the record, but it is hard not to view it as filler.

This record is a fitting debut for a band that wraps itself in several layers of irony, but maintains a firm grasp of social and political issues. Luckily, the band establishes that they have the instrumental ability and humor to prevent them from veering into obnoxious territory.